More Information

Area schools ahead of curve in cursive

Fourth grade teacher Mary Beth Taylor helps student Walker Hunt, 9, with his cursive writing skills during class at Parsley Elementary School Monday, March 18, 2013. A new bill in the North Carolina State Legislature would require students to learn cursive.

Published: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 3:48 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 3:48 p.m.

If you're going to write a cursive sentence in Mary Beth Taylor's class at Parsley Elementary School, you have to prepare.

Pencils rest on the desks in front of her fourth-grade students. Two fingers on one hand come down, pinching near the lead, while the other hand grabs the eraser. A quick spinning motion later, pencils hit paper, and the students are ready for the loops and swirls of cursive script.

A bill introduced in the N.C. General Assembly last month, called "Back to Basics," would require public elementary schools to teach cursive so students can "create readable documents through legible cursive handwriting by the end of fifth grade." But for elementary schools in Southeastern North Carolina, cursive is already part of the curriculum. Teachers like Taylor are having their students incorporate the handwriting into everyday learning.

Cursive handwriting was part of the elementary school curriculum for years under the N.C. Standard Course of Study, the state's old curriculum model. But this year, North Carolina, along with more than 40 other states, began implementing the Common Core standards for English and math.

The Common Core is designed to be a national curriculum that focuses on how students can apply what they learn. But it doesn't mandate that students learn cursive. The Back to Basics bill would also require elementary school students to memorize their multiplication tables, which is already a Common Core requirement.

In Southeastern North Carolina, all elementary schools teach cursive. Students in New Hanover and Brunswick counties learn cursive primarily in second and third grades, while Pender County students tackle it in third and fourth grades.

In Brunswick County, some teachers and schools emphasize it more than others, said spokeswoman Jessica Swencki, but all students are exposed to it. That difference in emphasis is common, said Brad Walker, associate professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Watson College of Education.

"In a curriculum that's already over full, (cursive) has been one of the things that's kind of taken a second seat," Walker said.

Walker, a former fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, had his own students practice their penmanship every week, he said. But teachers today might not have that kind of time to spend on cursive because of all the other state mandates they're trying to fit in, he said.

"Personally, I want students to be able to read cursive," he said. "But I'm not sure we need a law to do that."

Rep. Pat Hurley, a Republican from Randolph County, said she introduced the bill because she wants every child to know cursive. If the bill passes, it could be implemented in the 2013-14 school year. Right now, it's in the committee on education.

Taylor has made time for cursive writing by using it to teach students other things. One morning's lesson has students copying down quotes from historical figures in their best cursive handwriting, making sure to get their punctuation marks in the right place. Then, they write – in cursive – a paragraph about the meaning of the quote. When they're done, they trade papers with a partner to practice reading the cursive letters. For fourth-grader Walker Hunt, this is a fun lesson. Walker prefers to write in cursive because it's "more fun, more of a challenge," he said.

Plus, he said, it's going to get him ready for the future.

"You need to (write in cursive) in fifth grade," he said. "And some in college."

<p>If you're going to write a cursive sentence in Mary Beth Taylor's class at Parsley Elementary School, you have to prepare.</p><p>Pencils rest on the desks in front of her fourth-grade students. Two fingers on one hand come down, pinching near the lead, while the other hand grabs the eraser. A quick spinning motion later, pencils hit paper, and the students are ready for the loops and swirls of cursive script. </p><p>A bill introduced in the N.C. General Assembly last month, called "Back to Basics," would require public elementary schools to teach cursive so students can "create readable documents through legible cursive handwriting by the end of fifth grade." But for elementary schools in Southeastern North Carolina, cursive is already part of the curriculum. Teachers like Taylor are having their students incorporate the handwriting into everyday learning.</p><p>Cursive handwriting was part of the elementary school curriculum for years under the N.C. Standard Course of Study, the state's old curriculum model. But this year, North Carolina, along with more than 40 other states, began implementing the Common Core standards for English and math. </p><p>The Common Core is designed to be a national curriculum that focuses on how students can apply what they learn. But it doesn't mandate that students learn cursive. The Back to Basics bill would also require elementary school students to memorize their multiplication tables, which is already a Common Core requirement.</p><p>In Southeastern North Carolina, all elementary schools teach cursive. Students in New Hanover and Brunswick counties learn cursive primarily in second and third grades, while Pender County students tackle it in third and fourth grades. </p><p>In Brunswick County, some teachers and schools emphasize it more than others, said spokeswoman Jessica Swencki, but all students are exposed to it. That difference in emphasis is common, said Brad Walker, associate professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Watson College of Education. </p><p>"In a curriculum that's already over full, (cursive) has been one of the things that's kind of taken a second seat," Walker said. </p><p>Walker, a former fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, had his own students practice their penmanship every week, he said. But teachers today might not have that kind of time to spend on cursive because of all the other state mandates they're trying to fit in, he said. </p><p>"Personally, I want students to be able to read cursive," he said. "But I'm not sure we need a law to do that."</p><p>Rep. Pat Hurley, a Republican from Randolph County, said she introduced the bill because she wants every child to know cursive. If the bill passes, it could be implemented in the 2013-14 school year. Right now, it's in the committee on education.</p><p>Taylor has made time for cursive writing by using it to teach students other things. One morning's lesson has students copying down quotes from historical figures in their best cursive handwriting, making sure to get their punctuation marks in the right place. Then, they write – in cursive – a paragraph about the meaning of the quote. When they're done, they trade papers with a partner to practice reading the cursive letters. For fourth-grader Walker Hunt, this is a fun lesson. Walker prefers to write in cursive because it's "more fun, more of a challenge," he said. </p><p>Plus, he said, it's going to get him ready for the future. </p><p>"You need to (write in cursive) in fifth grade," he said. "And some in college."</p><p><i></p><p>Pressley Baird: 343-2328</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @PressleyBaird</i></p>